Is the profession of pastry chef creative? Cooking and confectionery cooking and confectionery

26.09.2019

Today I am starting a series of articles that many of you, my dear readers, have been waiting for - “For preschoolers about professions.” Confectioner – The profession is interesting and attractive for most kids. Who among us as a child did not dream of being a pastry chef and eating a lot of sweets? Today you will learn a lot about this profession: who invented raisin buns, how pastry chefs make them, look fascinating funny a film for kids about a confectionery shop! And also do developmental tasks for developing the baby's thinking and speech games! And, of course, you will find poems and pictures about the profession of a pastry chef! All this is in this article! I wish you interesting discoveries!

Preschoolers about professions - pastry chef: educational games and tasks for children

There is an opinion that introducing preschoolers to professions is reading stories about the work of adults. But the baby will quickly forget the stories he reads, but personal experience remembers for a long time. Therefore, when introducing preschoolers to professions, we will first of all involve personal life experience child. We will try to get the kids to first try to find the answer to the questions themselves, and then supplement their existing knowledge new information. That is why you will not find here a “serious and big” story about the profession of a confectioner, but will find a whole series of exciting educational tasks for kids! Good luck!

Who makes the buns? Preschoolers about the profession of a pastry chef

Ask your child if he knows where the buns in the store come from? Who bakes them? Most likely, the child will answer that he is baking buns cook. Fix it. This person's profession is confectioner.

Invite your child to listen to two poems and guess What is the difference between the professions of a cook and a pastry chef?

Cook cooks for the baby
Soup, potatoes, cutlets.
Prepares semolina porridge
Salad with sour cream.
I'll bake some pies
And gingerbread, and horns.
I have this gift:
I confectioner- culinary specialist

What does a chef cook and what does a pastry chef cook? (The pastry chef prepares sweet buns, cookies, gingerbreads, cakes, pastries, cheesecakes, candies, buns... The cook prepares porridge, salads, main dishes, compote, cutlets...)

Find the cook and pastry chef in the picture.

Guess my riddle:

Walks around in a white cap
with a ladle in hand
He's cooking us lunch
Porridge, cabbage soup and vinaigrette.

Who is this - a cook or a pastry chef? Why?

Look at the picture.

What does a pastry chef wear before work? Why does a pastry chef need a robe and a cap on his head? (A cap is needed to cover the hair, otherwise the hair may get into the baked goods. An apron or robe is needed to protect clothes, because something can get on it and ruin it. An apron or robe is also needed to prevent dirt, dust, and threads from clothing got into the food).

Why is the chef's and pastry chef's robe always light and never dark? (The robe must be clean so that dirt does not get into the food. Dirt is not visible on a dark robe. Therefore, the cook and pastry chef always wear snow-white clothes)

What does a pastry chef bake, or what types of buns and pies are there?

Unbutton. What word does the name of the pie resemble? (For the word “unbutton, unfasten”) Such pies are called rasstegai because they have an open middle from which the filling peeks out. It's like the pie has come undone.

Saika. Oval shaped bun. There may be several of them “stuck” to each other.

Bagel. Look at the bagel. Why do you think people named this bun that? (similar in shape to a horn)

Bun. The name of the bun “bun” comes from the word “to flatten.” Do you remember how you flatten a ball of plasticine into a cake? This bun is flat as if it was flattened. So they call it a bun.

And the braid is woven when it is cooked. Have you already guessed how it is woven? You can braid it like a braid, or you can twist the ends differently. You can try making a braided rope from plasticine. Try to invent your own way of weaving braids.

Cheesecake. What shape is the cheesecake? That's right, it's always round. Have you gone on a cheesecake slide down the hill in winter? Or have you seen others ride? How are a cheesecake for sliding downhill and a cheesecake - a bun?

Donut. Round fried sweet pie. Sometimes it is also called crumpet. Have you already guessed why? He's lush. plump.

Confectioner's profession. Educational games

In games, a preschooler learns to creatively use the knowledge about the profession that he has received.

1. Game "Fourth wheel"

Find the extra picture. Explain why it is superfluous (a picture that has nothing to do with the pastry chef’s profession will be superfluous in this game). How can you call everything that is shown in the pictures in one word? (food)

Card 1.

Card 2.

Card 3.

2. Guess game

This game can be played with a child 6-7 years old and older. This is how they play it. The presenter talks about himself on behalf of some product. For example, on behalf of the flour, he talks about how it was made, how it was packaged, how people will use it, what the confectioner will do with it. And the rest of the players guess which product the presenter spoke on behalf of. Very exciting game, but difficult for children. Children play it when they hear interesting and funny stories from adults. Usually the most interesting stories Dads come up with ideas, not moms!

How do confectioners work? Journey to the confectionery shop

And now a funny cartoon about the work of confectioners awaits you. You will see how buns are baked in a real factory. You will also learn the story about one famous Russian confectioner and the one who invented raisin buns.

Preschoolers cannot get into a real confectionery shop, so the opportunity to find themselves in one thanks to a video is an opportunity that should not be missed! You must see all this with your own eyes!

The video and cartoon are so interesting and funny that I highly recommend everyone to watch it, even adults - you will learn a lot of new things and get a boost of optimism and good mood! Enjoy watching!

Speech games about the work of a pastry chef

Speech exercise for developing the ability to form new words from known words - “What kind of filling is there?”

Invite your child to come up with different fillings for pies and buns. If you have a toy Carlson or Winnie the Pooh or another toy with a sweet tooth, then you can invite your child to come up with treats for him.

So, let's start “baking pies”, i.e. Using the movements of our palms, we depict how we make pies. At the same time we sing:

I bake, bake, bake,
The kids all have a pie.
I'll give it to Winnie the Pooh
I'll treat you to some pies.

Once the first pie is made, we begin to discuss its filling. You start, and the child finishes: “Look at the pie I made - it has strawberry filling - strawberry. Here's another one. I put lingonberries there - it has lingonberry filling. What filling did you make your pies with?”

Invite your child: “Let’s bake different pies. We put a peach here, and the filling will be - ... we pause so that the baby finishes the word (peach), and here we put an apricot. The filling turned out to be ... (apricot). What other filling can we come up with?”

Sweets can be prepared, managed or sold. Anyone who makes money from them is called a pastry chef. But we will talk specifically about a pastry chef - a person who turns food into sweet dishes with his own hands.

Description of the profession

If you make sweets at home and it seems easy to you, don’t think that it will be just as easy at work. It’s one thing to cook periodically for yourself and your loved ones, and quite another to do it every day for hundreds of people a day. There is a lot to learn:

determine the quality of products and know by heart the terms and conditions of their storage (God forbid, one of the restaurant visitors gets poisoned);
know chemical composition, biological value and calorie content of products (the visitor may suffer from allergies or adhere to a non-standard diet - this must be taken into account);
cook quickly and get along with professional kitchen appliances - ovens, dough mixers, food processors;
beautifully decorate products using special ingredients (mastic, dyes, powdered sugar, fondant, marzipan) and special devices (pastry bags, stencils, stacks, plungers, spatulas).

When you reach the rank of pastry chef or pastry sous chef, you will also have to take on administrative and management functions: recruit and train a team of pastry chefs, keep track of food consumption, come up with and update menus, create technological maps dishes.

Get ready for physical activity. The pastry chef sits only during breaks, and the rest of the time he is constantly on his feet. His hands are never at rest for a second: he rolls out the dough with a rolling pin, then finely chops or rubs something, then turns it over in a frying pan or whisks it in a bowl. And all this - in a hot room for 8-12 hours a day.

Where to study

To start working as a pastry chef, it is enough to graduate from college or technical school with a specialty of 01/43/09 “Cook, Confectioner” or 02/43/15 “Cooking and Confectionery”. There is no need to take exams; the competition is based on the grades in the certificate. If you start studying after ninth grade, college will take four years. If you go after 11th grade - three years.

Along with the diploma, you will receive a third qualification level, which will allow you to work in kitchens as an assistant pastry chef. At the same time as working, you will be able to improve your qualifications (either through courses or at the enterprise itself) and reach the last sixth category, which gives you the right to be a chef, that is, the head of the kitchen.

Another way to become a professional pastry chef is to go first to college and then to a food university in one of these areas:

Product technology and organization catering;
Food products made from plant materials;
Food products of animal origin.

After higher education, your knowledge will be wider, which means your career can go faster and further. But these are all possibilities, not a guarantee. With both secondary and higher education, you can remain out of work or, conversely, reach the very top. It all depends on the passion for your calling and the ability to constantly learn new things at work, in advanced training courses, internships with famous chefs, master classes, and professional competitions.

There is a third way: do not go to college, but immediately go to get higher education in the field of food technology. The downside of this route is that you will not have practical chef skills. You will have a lot of knowledge about food, but not the ability to cook it. You will be gladly accepted into production as a junior technologist or assistant restaurant administrator. But if you want to be a pastry chef, you will have to take additional advanced training courses or professional retraining. Some employers will take you without courses, but they will definitely test your ability to cook deliciously and on time.

Here are some colleges where you can become a pastry chef:

First Moscow educational complex, Moscow;
College of Services No. 32, Moscow;
College of Food Technologies, St. Petersburg;
College of Culinary Arts, St. Petersburg;
Technical College of Food and Services Industry "Culinary", Yekaterinburg;
Novosibirsk Nutrition Lyceum, Novosibirsk;
International College of Service, Kazan.

And these are some universities that have areas of training related to technology and catering:

Moscow state university food production;
Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Agricultural Academy named after. K.A. Timiryazeva, Moscow;
St. Petersburg University information technology, mechanics and optics "ITMO";
Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University;
Novosibirsk State Technical University;
Nizhny Novgorod State Engineering and Economic University;
Volgograd State Agrarian University.

Responsibilities and salary

Each pastry chef in a large restaurant is assigned his own stage of preparation. Cases are distributed depending on the qualifications of the employee.

1st–2nd categories. First-year college students have the first category. In the kitchen they wash dishes, cut ready dough, deliver semi-finished products to senior colleagues, fill pastry bags and syringes with creams, and monitor the operation of equipment.

Having passed the exam during training, college students receive a second rank. In the kitchen, they are allowed to prepare creams and syrups, make simple semi-finished products, and cut biscuits.

3rd–4th categories. Yesterday's college graduates do it themselves simple desserts and baked goods, prepare fillings (except for the most complex ones), knead regular dough, cover cakes and pastries with chocolate, cream or fruit.

Having passed the qualification test for the fourth category, confectioners can already be fully responsible for flour sweets: cookies, rolls, muffins, and cakes. They are also trusted to select creams by color and make simple decorations for cakes.

5th category. At this level, pastry chefs are responsible for preparing custom custom cakes; supervise the preparation of sweets; level, coat and decorate complex desserts.

6th category. This is the pinnacle of confectionery skill on the qualification scale. Such chefs are engaged in highly artistic products for holidays and special events, and supervise the work of junior colleagues. They can come up with recipes and cooking technologies themselves, as well as select materials for decoration with their own hands.

The correspondence between rank and responsibilities is not strict. It all depends on the size of the establishment, the degree of kitchen automation, and production goals. In some places, one person can handle all the responsibilities, but in others, dozens of people work their magic over sweet dishes. If an employee has a sixth rank, he can also perform functions inherent in lower ranks. A highly qualified pastry chef can even take full charge of a piece of work - from beating dough to making chocolate figures.

The higher the rank and position, the more the pastry chef is involved in responsibilities not directly related to cooking. A pastry chef can deal with personnel issues, negotiate with food suppliers, maintain material and financial records, and even develop a restaurant concept.

Do not think that the development of a pastry chef ends when you receive a certificate of higher qualifications. It’s just that at such heights it’s no longer possible to measure skill with a “ruler”. This is where more subtle indicators come into play - demand in the labor market and the pastry chef’s reputation in professional circles.

For the same reason, it is impossible to measure the salaries of the most sought-after pastry chefs. You will never find vacancies of this type: “A pastry chef is required for the Turandot restaurant, salary is 200 thousand rubles.” If such an advertisement ever appears, it will certainly not include a salary. As a person sells himself, so it will be, and if an elite establishment is interested, it will be able to buy him for any money. So 200 thousand a month is possible.

But in most restaurants and coffee shops, salaries are an order of magnitude lower. We analyzed the job offers at hh.ru and this is what we got.

As of December 2017, in Moscow pastry chefs and pastry sous chefs receive 62.5 thousand rubles. The highest offer is 100 thousand rubles.

If we talk about the profession of a pastry chef in general - not only about chefs, then here is what the average salaries look like in three regions of Russia:

Moscow – 47 thousand rubles;
St. Petersburg – 38 thousand rubles;
Krasnodar region – 35 thousand rubles.

The highest salaries are offered by restaurants, and the lowest by confectionery departments of supermarkets and factories.

Employment

In factories and supermarkets, the process of preparing sweets is more standardized - there is almost no room for creativity. Technologists come up with recipes, and cooks only follow the steps prescribed in technological maps and recipes. If you want to realize yourself as a gourmet pastry chef, after graduation you better head for restaurants.

While studying, collect a portfolio, try to study well and participate in all student competitions - this will show employers that you are passionate about your profession and do not just want to earn extra money. Be prepared that during the interview they will give you a professional aptitude test and ask you to prepare something.

Fragrant strudel, unsurpassed tiramisu, airy meringue, delicate muffins, exquisite sponge cake, various oriental sweets, candies, cakes, jam, confiture... At the mere mention of one of these culinary masterpieces, any person begins to involuntarily salivate. And that’s because all these confectionery products are not only tasty, but also give people happiness. And we have pastry chefs to thank for them.

Viennese strudel, Spanish paella, German marzipan, French meat, Hungarian goulash, various oriental sweets, Italian pizza, Polish bigos, cake, jam, confiture... At the mere mention of one of these culinary masterpieces, any person begins to feel involuntary salivation. And that’s because all these dishes are not only tasty, but also give people happiness. And we should be grateful for them pastry chefs, which are among the most regular products can prepare a wide variety of delicacies.

Of course, any housewife who loves and knows how to please her friends and relatives can rightfully be considered a skilled pastry chef. delicious dishes. However, as practice shows, the menu of such pastry chefs is quite limited, and the technology for preparing complex recipes at home does not always allow achieving impeccable results. taste qualities and aesthetically attractive appearance. Becoming a professional pastry chef, who turns the most ordinary cake or borscht into a masterpiece, and who can flawlessly reproduce any recipe and develop his own, is possible only after graduating from a specialized educational institution.

Who is a pastry chef?

A pastry chef is a qualified all-rounder who creates both confectionery and desserts (ice cream, halva, jam, cakes, waffles, cookies, candies, etc.), as well as snacks, first and second courses. In other words, if a chef specializes in preparing main courses and appetizers, and a pastry chef specializes in preparing pastries and desserts, then a pastry chef can cook everything.

The name of the profession comes from the Old Slavonic var (heat) and the Arabic kandi (sweetness). Story pastry chef profession goes back more than one century. It is reliably known that back in the 850s, various sweets were prepared using sugar in Arab countries. And each king or khan had his own pastry chef at the court, whose recipes were kept as secret as the most important state secrets. Well, humanity learned to cook meat, fish, soups or salads back in the days when a way to make fire was found.

It should be noted that the work of a pastry chef is akin to the work of an artist - you also need to show creative imagination, experiment, look for new solutions, realize your ideas and realize the wishes of customers. In this case, a creative approach must be shown regardless of whether the confectionery product or main dish is prepared according to a given recipe or according to a specialist’s original recipe. That is why a good pastry chef performs all stages of preparing his culinary masterpiece on his own: from cutting the preparations to making decorative elements.

Among other things, in responsibilities of a pastry chef includes:

preparation of the workplace, tools and equipment (scales, food processors, ovens, etc.);
checking the availability and quality of products, as well as preparing raw materials for work;
preparation and design of finished products;
cooling, freezing and storage of semi-finished products;
packaging and labeling finished products.

But, as a rule, a specialist independently prepares a dish “from start to finish” only if it is an original recipe or a culinary masterpiece intended for a special guest. Most often, the preparation of dishes and confectionery products is put on stream, so a whole team of pastry chefs “conjures” their preparation, each member of which is responsible for a specific process.

What personal qualities should a pastry chef have?

Because pastry chef job involves direct contact with products, the specialist must be clean, neat and responsible. In addition, the presence of such personal qualities, How:

It’s not hard to guess what a professional pastry chef should know huge amount the most different recipes and technologies for preparing main courses, snacks and confectionery products. In addition, a true professional knows the calorie content and biological value of products, the conditions and terms of their storage, the design and rules for using special equipment, and sanitary and hygienic standards of food production.

Advantages of being a pastry chef

Since pastry chefs are fluent in the technology of preparing both dishes from the kitchens different nations world, and a wide variety of confectionery products, such specialists will always be in demand at any catering establishment, regardless of whether it is a confectionery factory or a pizzeria. And that's the main thing advantage of being a pastry chef. At the same time, they are in demand in a variety of industries: from canteens in kindergartens and schools, to kitchens in elite restaurants.

The undoubted advantage of this profession can also be called great opportunities for implementation creative potential. After all, thanks modern technologies Pastry chefs can reproduce any item in their products or give them the most unexpected flavor and color shades.

Pastry chefs who have already achieved professional success cite a decent level of payment for their services as one of the advantages of their profession. According to statistics, the average monthly salary of a pastry chef in Russia is 30-40 thousand rubles. But this is far from the limit, since the fees of famous masters amount to hundreds of thousands (and not always rubles).

Disadvantages of being a pastry chef

Talking about disadvantages of being a pastry chef First of all, it is necessary to note the fact that working in any kitchen involves direct contact with hot surfaces. And this invariably entails frequent burns. Well, working with knives quite often leads to cuts and puncture wounds (especially if the specialist neglects safety precautions).

We should also not forget that the pastry chef is directly responsible for the quality of the dish he prepares or confectionery product. Moreover, this concerns both its compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, as well as taste and aesthetic qualities.

The disadvantages also include the fact that without the appropriate talent there is nothing to do in this profession. Yes, you can learn how to cook dishes and desserts using classic recipes. However, it is impossible to achieve professional success with only basic knowledge and skills.

Where can you get a job as a pastry chef?

Get a job as a pastry chef You can go to culinary technical schools or colleges, which are found in almost every Russian city. You can also master the wisdom of this profession in special courses. However last option It is more suitable for those who already have a diploma in their pocket as a cook or pastry chef, and simply want to expand their scope of activity. It should be noted that such courses are very popular, since among culinary specializations the profession of a pastry chef is considered the most prestigious, in demand and interesting.

Those who feel a calling to create real culinary masterpieces need to prepare not only for the fact that they will have to learn a huge number of different recipes and cooking technologies, but also for the constant improvement of their skills. And this means regular attendance at master classes, seminars, courses, etc.

If we talk about choosing a specific educational institution, then, of course, it is recommended to choose the best culinary technical schools and colleges in Russia, since it is their diploma that allows you to count on successful employment and great prospects for professional growth. To such educational institutions today can be attributed to:

Samara College of Culinary Arts;
Tomsk College of Food Industry, Trade and Services;
Yekaterinburg College of Food and Services Industry "Culinary";
St. Petersburg College of Culinary Arts;
Novosibirsk College of Public Catering and Service Sector.

“A good cook has a lot of character, imagination and feeling” -

Emil Yun, chef of Strasbourg
restaurant "Au Crocodile"

Cook is a food preparation specialist. A good cook is sometimes called a wizard, because he can cook a real masterpiece from the most ordinary products that will bring joy and pleasure to people. The profession of a chef is one of the most popular and in demand in the world. Anyone can cook something quickly and even tasty, but chefs do something more with food. They don’t just follow the requirements of the recipe, mixing ingredients in the right proportions and bringing the products to readiness. Extensive knowledge in the field of physiology, chemistry, fine arts, as well as a sense of proportion and special intuition form what we call culinary masterpieces.

Brief description of the profession.
The cook prepares dishes according to special recipes, but can modify them to his taste, that is, approach the process creatively. Skilled chefs are often called masters of cooking, and their dishes are works of art. Because their main goal is not just preparing food to satisfy hunger. They strive to convey certain sensations and moods to people by choosing the most successful combination of taste and aroma, as well as beautifully decorating the dish. Without a doubt, this can only be done with talent and a certain amount of inspiration.

Specifics of the profession.
The work of a cook consists of several stages:
- obtaining initial products;
- maintaining technology and recipes for preparing dishes;
- ensuring the cooking process: preparing the necessary equipment, preparing semi-finished products;
- proper operation of kitchen equipment;
- ensuring proper accounting and storage of products in accordance with sanitary and hygienic standards;
- sales of products.

The profession of a cook has several areas of activity.

Chef – senior management in the profession. The chef combines the functions of an administrator and a cook. He draws up requests for the necessary products, ensures their timely receipt from the warehouse, controls the timing, assortment, quantity and quality of their receipt and sale. Studying customer demand, she forms an assortment of dishes and culinary products, and compiles a daily menu. Monitors food preparation technology and employee compliance with sanitary requirements and hygiene rules. Organizes accounting and reporting on the activities of the enterprise. The chef is also a professional high class, who invents new dishes and improves existing recipes, whose integral character traits are creativity and originality.

Pastry chef engaged in the production of sweets. This specialization requires a developed imagination and subtle artistic taste, since it is very important not only to prepare the confectionery product, but also to decorate it interestingly.

Cook-technologist organizes the process of preparing food. Determines the quality of raw materials, calculates their quantity to obtain portions of finished products, and calorie content of the daily diet. Develops recipes for new signature dishes and draws up technological maps for them. Designs necessary documentation, instructs the cooks. His responsibilities include the proper organization of the cooking process.

Cook calculates raw materials and the yield of finished products, prepares dishes, performs straining, kneading, chopping, molding, stuffing, stuffing products, regulates temperature conditions, determines the readiness of dishes and products using instrumentation, as well as by appearance, smell, color , taste, produces decoration dishes and confectionery, divides them into portions.

The profession of a cook has its pros and cons, like any other profession.

Pros of the profession.
The profession of a cook is in demand and creative; there is a place for imagination and ingenuity in it. U good cooks high level wages. The undoubted advantages are the presence of constant demand for this type of activity, the likelihood of professional growth and obtaining skills useful in everyday life. In addition, this is a great opportunity to realize your creative potential and create something original.

Disadvantages of the profession.
The work requires great physical endurance and responsibility. Not every person can stand standing at a hot stove full-time. At the same time, there is a constant strain of attention when you have to monitor the preparation of many dishes and there is no opportunity to relax or get distracted.

Personal qualities.
- olfactory and tactile sensitivity, olfactory memory;
- good taste and color perception, taste memory;
- good eye;
- exquisite taste, imagination, a penchant for creativity;
- ability to recognize small deviations in parameters technological processes from set values by visual signs;
- the ability to simultaneously perceive several objects;
- Fine developed sense timing;
- dynamic thinking;
- knowledge of measures, the ability to quickly and accurately determine by eye the required amount of liquid, bulk products, spices;
- ability to understand the quality and freshness of meat, fish, vegetables and fruits;
- knowledge of technology instant cooking dishes, how to rationally allocate time;
- good coordination of movements of both hands, hand firmness, hand stability;
- ability to perform small precise movements;
- efficiency;
- physical endurance: the ability to work intensively for a long time without reducing performance;
- energy;
- ability to improvise;
- responsibility;
- forethought;
- punctuality, pedantry;
- ability to switch from one activity to another;
- striving for professional excellence.

Demand for the profession of a cook.
Nutrition is an integral process for maintaining human life every day. Therefore, the demand for the profession of a cook can hardly be overestimated. Almost all institutions have canteens, starting from kindergarten and ending with government organizations. And in recent years Due to the growing level of culture and wealth of the population, more and more different establishments began to open, offering a solid assortment of dishes. There are several reasons for this - people’s desire to try something new, to learn more about the traditions of another country by tasting its cuisine, or the desire to spend as little time as possible at home at the stove. The result is the incredible popularity of various pizzerias, fast foods and restaurants specializing in national dishes. And any of these establishments employs at least several chefs.

Place of work and career.
The profession of a cook involves working in the service sector. Food preparation is carried out in the canteens of various enterprises, organizations, educational institutions, as well as in cafes, bars and restaurants. You can also work in food processing plants, confectionery factories and factories food industry. Another one of possible options is working as a personal chef for wealthy people. In good hotels, the profession of a cook is considered key in hotel business. In hotels, chefs cook themselves and at the same time control the process of creating almost all dishes - from standard breakfasts to desserts. They also participate in the purchase of equipment, create menus, and ensure that restaurant products are fresh and immediately processed. The chef can also open his own restaurant or cafe. Wealthy people hire chefs for their homes.
Professional activities Cooking begins in school. GBPOU RK "Yalta College of Economics and Technology" provides students with permanent internship for the entire period of study.
For subsequent successful job search, a novice chef should create a portfolio with photographs of the dishes he has prepared. This modern approach to a job search that is perceived positively by a potential employer.
In the profession of a cook it is possible career growth from assistant chef to chef in a prestigious establishment. Professional growth begins with the position of assistant chef. And then, in accordance with his specialization and subject to the worthy performance of his duties, a person becomes a chef in the corresponding line of activity. At the same time, qualifications are gradually increased by assigning a rank. When you reach level 5-6, you can safely look for a vacancy as a chef.
The salary of a cook depends on the region of residence, the specifics of the institution, the size of the enterprise and the range of duties that the cook performs.

Viennese strudel, Spanish paella, German marzipan, French meat, Hungarian goulash, various oriental sweets, Italian pizza, Polish bigos, cake, jam, confiture... At the mere mention of one of these culinary masterpieces, any person begins to feel involuntary salivation. And that’s because all these dishes are not only tasty, but also give people happiness. And we should be grateful for them pastry chefs who can prepare a wide variety of delicacies from the most ordinary products.

Of course, any housewife who loves and knows how to please her friends and loved ones with delicious dishes can rightfully be considered a skilled pastry chef. However, as practice shows, the menu of such pastry chefs is quite limited, and the technology for preparing complex recipes at home does not always allow one to achieve impeccable taste and aesthetically attractive appearance. Becoming a professional pastry chef, who turns the most ordinary cake or borscht into a masterpiece, and who can flawlessly reproduce any recipe and develop his own, is possible only after graduating from a specialized educational institution.

Who is a pastry chef?

Among other things, in responsibilities of a pastry chef includes:

preparation of the workplace, tools and equipment (scales, food processors, ovens, etc.);
checking the availability and quality of products, as well as preparing raw materials for work;
preparation and design of finished products;
cooling, freezing and storage of semi-finished products;
packaging and labeling of finished products.

What personal qualities should a pastry chef have?

Because pastry chef job involves direct contact with products, the specialist must be clean, neat and responsible. In addition, the presence of such personal qualities as:

It is not difficult to guess that a professional pastry chef must know a huge number of different recipes and technologies for preparing main courses, snacks and confectionery products. In addition, a true professional knows the calorie content and biological value of products, the conditions and terms of their storage, the design and rules for using special equipment, and sanitary and hygienic standards of food production.

Advantages of being a pastry chef

Since pastry chefs are fluent in the technology of preparing both dishes from the cuisines of different nations of the world and a wide variety of confectionery products, such specialists will always be in demand at any catering establishment, regardless of whether it is a confectionery factory or a pizzeria. And that's the main thing advantage of being a pastry chef. At the same time, they are in demand in a variety of industries: from canteens in kindergartens and schools, to kitchens in elite restaurants.

An undoubted advantage of this profession is also the great opportunities for realizing creative potential. Indeed, thanks to modern technologies, pastry chefs can reproduce any item in their products or give them the most unexpected flavors and colors.

Disadvantages of being a pastry chef

We should also not forget that the pastry chef is directly responsible for the quality of the dish or confectionery product he prepares. Moreover, this concerns both its compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards, as well as taste and aesthetic qualities.

Where can you get a job as a pastry chef?

Get a job as a pastry chef You can go to culinary technical schools or colleges, which are found in almost every Russian city. You can also master the wisdom of this profession in special courses. However, the latter option is more suitable for those who already have a chef or pastry chef diploma in their pocket and simply want to expand their scope of activity. It should be noted that such courses are very popular, since among culinary specializations the profession of a pastry chef is considered the most prestigious, in demand and interesting.

If we talk about choosing a specific educational institution, then, of course, it is recommended to choose the best culinary technical schools and colleges in Russia, since it is their diploma that allows them to count on successful employment and great prospects for professional growth. Such educational institutions today include:

Samara College of Culinary Arts;
Tomsk College of Food Industry, Trade and Services;
Yekaterinburg College of Food and Services Industry "Culinary";
St. Petersburg College of Culinary Arts;
Novosibirsk College of Public Catering and Service Sector.